COLTS NECK, NJ —Keith Caneiro, his wife, Jennifer, and their two children, ages 11 and 8, were murdered in a targeted homicide, the Monmouth County prosecutor said during a press conference Wednesday, giving the latest on this stunning and tragic story out of Colts Neck.
The Caneiro family also all died Tuesday before their home on was set on fire, the prosecutor said.
“This family was targeted. All four of them were victims of homicidal violence before the fire was set at their home,” said Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni, speaking Wednesday afternoon. “Sadly, each of these individuals were the victims of homicidal violence at some point prior to when the fire was set at 15 Willow Brook. This is one of the most heinous cases we’ve ever investigated or seen.”
But Gramiccioni stopped short of saying that Caneiro’s older brother, Paul Caneiro, is a suspect in the quadruple murder of his brother and his family. Paul Caneiro, 51, was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with setting his own Ocean Township home on fire earlier on Tuesday. The two brothers were in business together. There is not a quadruple murderer on the loose, the prosecutor said, without elaborating.
In fact, a big hold-up in the case right now is the inability of murder detectives to even get into the Colts Neck estate at 15 Willow Brook Road and look for evidence, the prosecutor said.
“I cannot confirm or deny if he is a suspect,” said Gramiccioni of the elder Caneiro brother. “All I can say is we are investigating if these two cases are related. We can’t charge people unless we have evidence.
“Bear in mind, we are still waiting for county investigators to let us in there (to the house). The scene hasn’t been rendered safe. We need to make sure the roof doesn’t cave in and things of that nature. I expect we will get in there in the next few hours,” vowed the prosecutor.
Paul Caneiro set fire to his suburban Ocean Township home while his wife and two daughters were inside, police said. Police say he used gasoline to set his own home at 27 Tilton Drive on fire at 5:01 a.m. Tuesday. His wife and two daughters were in the home at the time, the prosecutor said, but all four family members escaped, unharmed.
Seven hours later, at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday, Caneiro’s younger brother, Keith Caneiro, 50, and his wife, Jennifer, 45, and their two children were found dead at their Colts Neck estate. Keith Caneiro was found shot to death on the front lawn, according to the Monmouth County prosecutor. The bodies of the wife and children were inside: Eleven-year-old Jesse and 8-year-old Sophia are the children who died at the scene. The prosecutor said it was difficult for the medical examiner to identify the bodies of the wife and children, as they were badly burned.
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“Mr. Caneiro was found outside the home, and his wife and two children were found inside the home. Keith, whose remains were found in front of the home, was shot but I can’t go any further,” said prosecutor. “We believe this family was targeted. I do believe this was a targeted situation with the Caneiro family. We have no reason to believe this was a suicide. They were all victims of homicides.”
RELATED: Colts Neck Homicide: Horrifying Photos Show Caneiro Mansion Fire
The prosecutor also said he could not rule out the possibility that the Caneiro family was murdered well before the 5 a.m. Ocean Twp. fire, and before their bodies were discovered in the blaze at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday. Because the medical examiner’s work is not complete, a time of death has simply not been established, he said.
Sources told NBC that Caneiro was found shot in the head and the back, while his wife and two young children were stabbed to death before their bodies were burned in the fire. However, the prosecutor refused to confirm those specific details; he would only say the bodies of Jennifer and her children were “severely burned.” But he did say it was clear the mother and children died before the fire.
“We want to give justice to the Caneiro family. We really hope we can solve this. Any leads, please contact us. Any little piece of the puzzle makes a difference,” the prosecutor said.
A neighbor in Ocean Twp. told NJ Advance Media that Paul Caneiro was nearly crying when she saw him in the hours after his home was on fire. “He said, ‘I’m in complete shock, I can’t believe this is happening to me,'” said the neighbor. “He said it must have been a gas leak.”
Gasoline cans were found by detectives in the rear of the home, NBC reported.
Paul Caneiro is behind bars right now at the Monmouth County jail, and he will remain there through the Thanksgiving weekend, said the prosecutor. His bail hearing has been set for next Wednesday, Nov. 28. The prosecutor said the public will learn about Paul Caneiro’s alleged motive at his detention hearing next Wednesday.
As of Wednesday afternoon, here are the latest confirmed facts:
Keith Caneiro and his wife, Jennifer Caneiro, are pictured above at his graduation from Columbia University.
Live video feed of the 2 p.m. press conference from the Monmouth County prosecutor:
This is video from outside Paul Caneiro’s Ocean Twp. home that he allegedly set on fire Tuesday:
Original story: 4 Dead – Including Children – In Colts Neck Mansion Fire
Photos from the scene of the Colts Neck fire provided to Patch. Top photo of the Caneiros from YouTube. Top photo: Firefighters work the scene of a fatal at 15 Willow Brook Rd.Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018, in Colts Neck,N.J.(AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)